When I lived in New York, my friend Sara invited me to lunch at her house, and while we chatted she made grilled cheese sandwiches and warmed up a yummy box of tomato soup from Trader Joes. I adore this meal. It’s on my list of comfort meals for sure. But until Sara served it to me, I had considered it too plebian or boring for guests.

I had a lovely shift in thinking that day. Why wouldn’t I serve this comforting, beloved meal? And why stress out about a fancy meal, when I can be relaxed and enjoy my company — and serve a known crowd-pleaser at the same time? All of sudden, I could invite people over for lunch and it didn’t have to be a big deal. Which means I was more likely to invite someone over in the first place!

I hope it’s safe to say, most people love tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. It’s definitely a favorite around our house. I can tell you I truly don’t raise my eyebrows at boxed soup, but in an effort to eat more whole foods, we have been trying to make more things from scratch. So for today’s recipe in my Slow Cooker Series, it’s all about Homemade Tomato Soup. That said, this soup is made with canned tomatoes. : ) Once summertime arrives, you can switch out fresh-from-the garden tomatoes. But for now this works. It’s pretty much one of those put everything into the slow cooker kinds of recipes, set it and forget it.

I’m always feeding a crowd, so I included a recipe to feed 10-12. If you have a smaller family, don’t worry, just halve all of the ingredients. However, I will say the leftovers don’t go to waste! They are great to send in a lunch box or pull out for a quick meal the next day.

Slow cooker Version:
Place all of the ingredients, except for half and half and Parmesan into a very large slow cooker. Top with the lid and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 5-7 hours. The vegetables should be very soft at that point. If not, cook for another hour or so.

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. Alternatively, work in batches and puree soup in traditional blender. Be extra careful and don’t fill the blender too full, or it will splatter and escape from the lid.

To the pureed soup, add the half and half. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if needed. Ladle into bowl and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan and extra basil.

Serve with biscuits, hot rolls, grilled cheese sandwiches, or breadsticks and a large green salad.

Stove-top Version:

Combine all ingredients in a heavy lidded pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low, and simmer, covered, for about 2 hours, until flavors are blended and vegetables are soft. Allow the soup to cool slightly. Then puree in batches in a blender until very smooth. If you like a thinner consistency, add a little bit more stock or water. Serve immediately, or transfer the soup back to the pot and keep on low until your guests arrive.

Garnish with more fresh basil and some grated Parmesan cheese.

Pesto Grilled Cheese SandwichTo make about 6-8 sandwiches

Note – this pesto has much less oil than traditional recipes so it doesn’t saturate through the bread and make it soggy. Add just enough to make it spreadable.

2. Prepare pesto — place basil, pine nuts, Parmigiano-Reggiano, and garlic in a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Add the olive oil a little at a time through the feed hole while pulsing. Scrape down sides as needed.

3. Lay all the bread slices open and place the sliced mozzarella on half of the bread slices. On the other half, spread a little of the pesto. Close the sandwiches and spread butter on the outside of every sandwich.

4. Heat the skillet or griddle to medium-high heat and cook the sandwiches until golden on each side, lowering the heat if necessary so they don’t burn. Serve immediately.

Sarah

Did you or your kids ever have an odd tomato soup encounter in France? I made it for my host family when I was living in Nantes, and the kids all said it was like watered down ketchup :( I was so surprised that there really isn’t a French equivalent, except maybe a velouté with squash or veggies.

Arin

Thank you, thank you! I was just trying to figure out what to make for dinner tonight–Monday is our day when after-school activities necessitate a dinner option wherein the meal is nearly ready to eat the minute we walk through the door. And what hungry kid would whine about grilled cheese and homemade tomato soup coming right up?

Jess.

This looks delicious. I love all those vegetables in the soup. It reminds me of my favorite Marcella Hazan sauce. I love tomato soup & grilled cheese so, so much. This is the recipe I usually serve to guests:http://www.food.com/recipe/4bs-old-fashioned-cream-of-tomato-soup-153800
This soup has a [well-deserved] cult following in Montana, which is where I’m from.

Thanks for another great recipe, Gabrielle! This is good motivation to make tomato soup from scratch for the first time! And I will echo a few other comments by saying oh my gosh, pesto grilled cheese! Yes please! :)

Jane Darcy

I love reading your stories & read your blog every morning, I’m looking forward to trying this recipe. If you end up with lots of tomatoes just pop the extras in a plastic bag in the freezer, they become the perfect cooking tomatoes to use over winter. Thanks so much, you & your family are all delightful.

Pinning this one immediately. I love grilled cheese and tomato soup, and I’m thrilled to have a “real” recipe instead of the condensed soup and milk I usually make. Have you read Shauna Niequist’s book, Bread and Wine? This post reminds me so much of her sentiments regarding sharing simple food with family and friends. It’s a lovely read, if you haven’t checked it out. Thanks again for the recipe.

sara

Pamela

Greetings from SoCal! I love your blog. I happened across your blog the other day while browsing Joss & Main. This recipe looks delicious. What’s interesting is the added veggies in it. I have a very picky 3 going on 4 year old and I’m always trying to get more vegetables in him some kind of way. He does like soup and will eat the vegetables in a soup, but not on the plate so much. Go figure. Anyway, he might like this. Pesto on a grilled sandwich is delicious. Even my husband said it’s pretty good – and he’s picky too! There’s only three of us. If I made this, do you think I can freeze some of it?

[…] a little different but comforting all the same. Pictured above is Design Mom & Cafe Johnsonia slow cooker tomato soup, I’ve never made tomato soup in the slow cooker before so I just might have to use this […]

Kelly

This is going on in my crock pot right now. I’m quite excited to try it out. Used veggie stock to make it vegan. It’s windy and 70 degrees here so I think it’s a great day for it. Thanks for the recipe!

Phyllis

Jennifer D.

This is the best tomato soup recipe I’ve ever made at home. Significantly better than one I tried recently that required me to roast all the ingredients in the oven before making the soup. (Granted, that one used fresh tomatoes, but this one is still so much better.) I halved the recipe because I have a family of two, and it still made enough for me to eat all week for lunch (and then some). I also changed a few ingredients based on what I had. I forgot to add Parmesan cheese, and it’s still delicious. I don’t even need a grilled cheese sandwich with it, but you know, grilled cheese & tomato soup go hand-in-hand. Thanks for this! It’s excellent.

Kyra

Pintoo

Hi,
Lovely recipe of the soup. And I was blown away by the pics, but at the same time I thought I had seen this pics somewhere else. So wanted to let you know that your pics are being used without your permission on this Facebook page.https://www.facebook.com/soupsforyou/. I suppose your photos are your copyright.

MAYO

The sandwich recipe sounds amazing. Not so sure about the soup, though. First off, how is this “from scratch” if you’re using canned food? Second, why use a slow cooker? It isn’t as if tomatoes need to be braised for hours on end like beans or tough cuts of meat (i.e. pot roast). Your food photography is amazing, though!!!